About those White House petitions...

12/26/12 5:34 PM EST

The “We the People” program that allows people to petition the Obama administration to respond to their concerns has often drawn more attention for its petitions than the White House responses.

This week was no exception, with a petition to deport CNN host Piers Morgan for his gun-control comments drawing more than 65,000 signatures and the media spotlight.

Other petitions spotlighted in recent months include those seeking a recount of the presidential election and permission to secede from the union after Obama won, as well as one to build a “Death Star.”

So what happens to such petitions and will they actually get a response from the White House?

A quick look at program statistics on the White House web site shows that there are 159 open petitions, 45 of which that have reached the 25,000-signature threshold required for response.

Some of those have been waiting several months since reaching the threshold, including two asking about required labeling on genetically modified foods (created in September 2011 and April 2012), two asking the administration to denounce support of former Japanese “comfort women” (created in May and June), one asking that access to journal articles based on taxpayer-funded research be free (created in May) and another asking that foreign aid be pulled from Vietnam unless it returns land to former owners (created in August).

Some petitions don’t receive a response at all. The White House reserves the right to remove petitions that do not fall within its guidelines, for example those that ask for actions outside the power of the federal government. (A petition asking for the removal of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was removed in December.)

The White House has responded to 87 petitions since the program’s inception in September 2011, according to the site. Many of the responses read like dry talking points, others are basically a “no comment.” But a few appear to have had some impact. For example, the White House issued its response to petitions on Internet privacy (SOPA and PIPA) at the same time the House was considering legislation on the issue. The White House came out against legislation, helping lead to its demise. And there was of course the one that prompted the release of the White House beer recipe.

"While some petitions may seem less serious, many have substantively affected policy debates in Washington," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich told POLITICO. "Ultimately 'We the People' has given millions of Americans an opportunity for the administration to address issues they care about, which is an important part of the democracy Americans deserve.”

As for the timing on removal or response by the White House, it's all up to the administration's discretion.

"We will do our best to respond to petitions that cross the signature threshold in a timely fashion, however, depending on the topic and the overall volume of petitions from We the People, responses may be delayed," the site says.

So for now, the seccessionists, Death Star fans and anti-Piers Morgan petitioners will just have to wait...